Tutorial: Using pdf2cad Mac

This tutorial assumes that you have already installed pdf2cad on your Mac and that you can access it from the Applications Folder, the Dock or the Desktop. Choose your preferred method and launch pdf2cad.

Step 1: Upon launch, Click Add to select the files you wish to convert.

When you click Add, you will see a list of files from your computer and any known linked devices to choose from. Select the ones you want and then click Open to move them into pdf2cad.

The selected files will be displayed in the preview pane on the left. On the right, are the most often used settings. These defaults should be correct for most conversions. Click OK to continue. If you find that you need to change rotation or fine-tune the process, there is a Preferences button where advanced settings can be applied. If you do not need to make any adjustments, you may click OK to run the conversion. The Options are covered at the end of the tutorial.

Once you have clicked OK on the previous screen, you will be returned to the file selection window. Add more files or select Next.

The conversions to be performed will be summarized on screen. Choose where the results will be stored. The default is in the same directory as the original file. Click Convert to proceed.

Once the conversion is complete, you can choose New Conversion to perform more operations or Exit the application. The converted files will be in your file system, usually in the same folder as the original folder. You can now open them in your CAD application.

Preferences and Advanced Options

The General Settings control options that apply to any file. These include choices about how you want text to be converted in your file. Optimal will ensure that any editable text remains editable while Convert Characters to Curves will deliver a perfect match if fonts are not available on your system. You can also choose to rotate the file or ignore items such as images which can not be edited. Finally, you choose your format on this screen – DWG for AutoCAD, DXF for most engineering and technical programs and HPGL for plotter specific applications.

If the same fonts defined in a PDF file are not installed on your computer, the converted drawing will not display properly. Font mapping is a way to compensate for this. For more information on fonts issue, refer to the FAQ sub-section.

The DXF/DWG options apply specifically to the attributes of the CAD drawing. Here you can adjust scale as well as treatment of layers and composition.

The Advanced options are where some of the real power is in pdf2cad. These options allow for intelligent reconstruction of the CAD objects from a flattened PDF format.

Recent News

Visual Integrity PDF Conversion SDK, version 11 offering new features and more API calls. The SDK is for developers who need to convert or edit vector-based PDF files within their application or web-service. Using two API calls, vector PDF files render as editable objects in the target application.

pdf2cad v11 offers many new features and enhancements including a 64-bit version, support for all current Windows and Mac operating systems, handling of password-protected PDF files, more control over images, flexible page numbering, additional ways to separate layers and more.